Breathing tapestry: weaving phygital textile for mindfulness practices.

In recent years, the theme of well-being and somatic care has constituted an essential field of design research. The convergence of cutting-edge technolo-gies with the proliferation of holistic disciplines has positioned the rela-tionship between the human body and artefacts at the core of contemporary discourse. In particular, the field of Human-Computer Interaction has seen a significant expansion in the range of new relational possibilities between technological devices and the organic body due to its exploration of the coupling between computational systems and human perception. The meth-odology proposed by somatic design integrates the concepts of embodied cognition and bodily perception into design practices through mindfulness exercises that engage sensoriality, the analysis of physical sensations, and emotional impact. This paper aims to demonstrate how somatic care practic-es can inform the design process, guiding the creation of artefacts that en-hance psycho-physical well-being. In particular, the presented case study uses DIY electronics, smart fibres, ancient textile techniques, and interac-tion design to support somatic care practices. The design experience, which was conducted in collaboration with textile artist Cristina Mariani as part of the Crafting Europe program, resulted in the prototyping of a platform for the generation of an interactive and customisable textile device that is used to support the practice of breathwork, which is employed to improve per-sonal well-being.